Touga Kiryuu

Touga Kiryuu is Saionji's best friend, and also his worst enemy. Touga is the president of the Student Council at Ohtori Academy, and also the most popular male babe on campus. He is charming, witty, chivalrous, and intelligent. Saionji just happens to be murderously jealous of him.

Touga and Saionji have a friendship that extends back to their childhood. Yet even this strong frienship was rooted in competition. Touga and Saionji would meet to practice dueling, over and over again. At this young age, both seemed to be equally matched, and respected each other's skill. However, that all changed when one night the two stumbled upon a broken-hearted young girl, hiding alone in a coffin full of rose petals . . .

One of my favorite symbols from the series is the bandage that Touga ties on to Saionji's hand after he injures him in a childhood duel. It seems to symbolize their friendship. The same night that this duel occurs, the two find the girl in her coffin. After Touga vows to show the girl "something eternal," the bandage slips off of Saionji's hand and falls to the ground, forgotten. This signifies the beginning of Saionji's jealousy, which will eventually fester into hatred of Touga.

Saionji wants his chance to show a princess something eternal. He wants to be the prince for once. This is why he is so possesive of Anthy - no one is going to take away his chance to bring her eternity. When Utena Tenjou succeeds in doing so, Saionji is overcome with a homicidal rage. He attempts to attack Utena, but instead strikes down Touga, who suddenly jumps in front of Utena. Once again Touga has become the gallant prince, and by attacking him Saionji severs all ties of their friendship.

After Saionji is expelled for his attack on Touga, he gives Touga his exchange diary for safe-keeping. Although Saionji still trusts Touga, Touga admitted in an earlier scene that he was "a fool" to ever believe that he and Saionji were friends. After Saionji is out of site, Touga throws his exchange diary into the incinerator.

Let's compare Touga and Saionji: both yearn to be a handsome prince (though one is notably more successful at it than the other). Both are very popular with the girls on campus, yet yearn for one girl that they can never have. For Touga, it's Utena; for Saionji, it's Anthy. However, their end goal in these impossible romances greatly differs. Saionji wants to bring eternity to Anthy, not as much for her benefit as for his own. Touga's lust for Utena is probably mostly related to his hormones, but there is evidence of something deeper between them.

Later in the series, Saionji and Touga enter a new phase in their relationship. Although there is never any indication that they have forgiven each other for their previous spat, the two suddenly become deeply involved with each other. Um, really deeply involved with each other. When Touga takes Saionji on a ride with his motorcycle along the road that Akio likes to frequent in his infamous Akio-car . . . Well, there's just no doubting the symbolism behind that motorcycle ride. Touga and Saioni suddenly seem to have found a common interest between them. That is, both are drawn together in an attempt at understated rebellion against Akio Ohtori. Saionji realizes that Akio has been manipulating him and the other duelists all along. "We are still in our coffins," he tells Touga. Touga perhaps knew about Akio's motives all along, but chose to bide his time while playing Akio's faithful second.

In the end, the fate of both of these young men is left unclear. What exactly was going on between them during those last few episodes? Did it last beyond the duel called "Revolution"? Why did they reconcile with each other in the first place? Who knows? The anime presents more questions than it provides answers.